Repair of the bicuspid aortic valve combined with root remodeling leads to excellent 10- and 15-year results. Cusp calcification and the need for partial cusp replacement are associated with valve failure.

BACKGROUND; Endometriosis is a complex disease with a multifactorial pathogenesis, which is crucially dependent on the development of new blood vessels. Based on the current literature, the present review highlights the fact that the neovascularization of endometriotic lesions is not only driven by angiogenesis, but also involves de novo formation of microvessels from circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). This process, termed post-natal vasculogenesis, is a characteristic of various pathogenic conditions, such as tumour growth and atherosclerosis, and typically comprises the activation, mobilization and recruitment of bone marrow-derived EPCs to the sites of tissue hypoxia. METHODS ; Literature searches were performed in PubMed, MEDLINE and ISI Web of Knowledge for publications focusing on vasculogenesis in the endometrium and endometriotic lesions. RESULTS ; Recent studies indicate that up to 37% of the microvascular endothelium of ectopic endometrial tissue originates from EPCs, partly controlled by the stromal-cell-derived factor-1/chemokine receptor type 4 axis. Accordingly, blockade of EPC recruitment effectively inhibits the formation of microvascular networks in developing endometriotic lesions, indicating that vasculogenesis represents an integral part of the pathogenesis of endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS ; The involvement of vasculogenesis in endometriosis may offer the exciting opportunity for the future establishment of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this frequent gynaecological disease.

IMPORTANCE Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) repair has been used in limited cohorts, but its long-term results in a large population are unknown.OBJECTIVES To analyze the long-term stability of BAV repair for survival and the factors associated with repair failure and to evaluate whether a differentiated anatomic repair approach may improve repair stability. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSIn this case series, 1024 patients underwent BAV repair for aortic regurgitation or aneurysm between October 1995 and June 2018, with a mean (SD) follow-up time of 56 (49) months and maximum follow-up of 271 months. Systematic modifications in technique based on anatomic principles were introduced in 2009 and applied for the last 727 patients. Data were acquired prospectively and analyzed retrospectively.EXPOSURES Repair of BAV with or without concomitant aortic replacement, as well as postoperative clinical and echocardiographic follow-up.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Survival and incidence of reoperation or recurrent aortic regurgitation, as well as factors associated with valve repair failure. RESULTS Among the 1024 patients in the study (920 male [89.8%]; mean [SD] age, 47 [13] years [range, 15-86 years]), the survival rate at 15 years was 82.1%. The cumulative incidence of reoperation was 30.7% (95% CI, 22.7%-38.7%) at 15 years. Cusp calcification (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.14-2.77; P = .01), asymmetric commissural orientation (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.02-3.72; P = .04), and use of a pericardial patch for cusp repair (subdistribution hazard ratio, 5.25; 95% CI, 3.52-7.82; P < .001) were associated with time to reoperation. At 10 years, the incidence of reoperation was significantly reduced among patients who received the anatomic repair concept compared with those who had undergone surgery in the earlier period (8.8% vs 24.6%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEThis study suggests that survival after BAV repair is excellent and that a large proportion of BAV repairs will remain stable. Repair stability can be markedly improved by an anatomic repair concept. Cusp calcification and the need for cusp repair using a patch remain the factors most strongly associated with valve failure. In those instances, valve replacement should be preferred.

Endometriosis is a frequent gynecological disease that is

Plicating the fused sinuses and thus reducing root circumference in the fused part changes commissural orientation of the BAV which leads to better short- and midterm stability in BAV repair.